NEWBERG, Ore. – Whitworth softball split Saturday's doubleheader at George Fox in a day full offense, winning game one 9-6 and dropping game two 7-5 in Newberg.
The Pirates (11-19, 7-11 NWC) have won four of five and kept within striking distance of fourth-place Pacific Lutheran, they'll have a chance to win their second straight series if they can pull off a sweep of the Bruins (18-12, 11-7 NWC) in Sunday's doubleheader.
Game 1 – Whitworth 9, George Fox 6
Jazz Johnson went 4-4 at the plate including an RBI single in the sixth to break to cushion Whitworth's slim lead, and Jessica Rusconi added her third home run of the season as part of a 3-4 hitting day.
Whitworth won its fourth straight game thanks to 16 hits to erase a 5-2 deficit, seven Pirates tallied a hit (five accounted for at least one RBI). Corrinne Vasiloff (6-9) threw her fifth straight complete game despite allowing six runs, four of which came on a two-out grand slam from Sharon Tomei.
Trailing 1-0 in the second, Rusconi tagged a two-run home run to left field to put Whitworth ahead early. Tomei's grand slam turned the tides and put GFU in front 5-2, but the Pirates responded.
Rusconi delivered again with an RBI-single to center scoring Mackenzie Nine before Taylor Hofheins put the ball in play to score Jazz Johnson. Haley Montoya knotted things up at 5-5 with a fourth-inning lineout to deep center to score Reagan Ellis.
Whitworth took over for good with a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth. Chasing a run, Hofheins came up with her second RBI of the day, a single to center to score Johnson, before Ellis followed that with another RBI-single for a 7-6 lead.
Johnson delivered her fourth hit of the day in the sixth, tagging a single to center field to bring Kennedy Robison home. Dillon stole home before the inning's conclusion as part of a double steal, and Whitworth claimed game one 9-6.
Emma Eastman got the start for the Bruins, allowing 13 hits and six runs through five innings of work. Madelyn Loughary (3-1) relieved Eastman for the final two innings and allowed the final three runs as the Pirates ran away.
Game 2 – George Fox 7, Whitworth 5
Amy Pederson drove in a pair of RBIs on a 2-4 day at the plate, but the Bruins erased a 4-0 deficit behind three RBI's from Tomei in a big third and fourth inning to salvage a split in Saturday's doubleheader.
Momi Lyman (4-9) got the start for Whitworth and allowed five earned runs on nine hits through four innings before Reiss McIntyre came in for two innings of relief. George Fox used a trio of pitchers to get the job done, Kiley Harris contributed three innings of scoreless relief as GFU built their comeback.
Nine's sacrifice fly scored Montoya and got Whitworth on the board in the first inning, but the Pirates pushed across three in the second inning to take control early. Ellis singled to left to score Rusconi, Pederson put the ball in play to score Ellis on a throwing error, before Montoya crossed for the fourth run on a double steal.
But the Bruins rallied.
Trailing 4-1 after Harris scored on a passed ball, Tomei delivered a huge two-RBI single to center field to draw Fox within a run. They kept that momentum alive in the fourth as Harris belted a go-ahead two-run home run to put the Bruins on top for good.
Tomei added to her monster afternoon with her second home run of the day, a solo blast to right field in the fifth to extend the Bruin lead to 7-4.
Pederson doubled to right center in the sixth to score Ellis and cut the deficit to 7-5, but Whitworth was unable to draw any closer.
Tomei finished 4-7 with two home runs and five RBIs in the doubleheader to fuel the Bruins offense. She'll look to keep that production up in the series finale on Sunday.
